Mischief Night
by MinervaDeannaBond
Summary: Jessica fears mischief at Eve Simpson's annual Halloween bash, but thankfully, she is saved by a friend who doesn't need a brain to know how he feels about her.


I know it's the day after Halloween, but I wanted to get this up anyway, just in case anybody's still in the Halloween spirit. Set around Season 6, this story centers around a Halloween party, where Jessica finds herself alone with men foisted upon her - until a certain protective doctor comes to her rescue. Happy Halloween!

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><p>"Forget it, Jess. I am not going to make a fool of myself just to make Eve Simpson happy."<p>

"Seth, it's one night every year! It's Halloween, for heaven's sake, not Mischief Night. What harm could it do?"

"_What harm could it do? _No harm other than make me the laughingstock of Cabot Cove!"

"Along with the rest of us. We're all going to act silly and dress up. I happen to know that Eve herself is going to have quite a costume."

"She always does. Remember last year when she dressed up as Jeannie from _I Dream of Jeannie, _and the year before that, when she was Wonder Woman? I swear, Eve will use any excuse to show off her - _assets _at a Halloween party."

"I'll admit she does push the envelope just a little with her costumes, but maybe she just wants to do something completely different from her suits. After all, she has a business to run."

"Bull. She dresses like that to snag any man who'll give her the time of day at one of these shindigs. If she wants to snag a man, she ought to go as that horror villain with the claws, oh... what's his name..."

"Freddy Krueger?"

"Ayuh, that's the one. She could dig her claws into some poor sap for real rather than using her cleavage as bait."

For one who had polished her timing down to a well-tuned art, Jessica Fletcher chose the wrong time to take a sip of her evening coffee. No sooner had these words flown out of her best friend's mouth than she let out a strangled laugh and snorted the coffee right out of her nose. As she coughed, trying to get herself together, Dr. Seth Hazlitt watched her with his mouth curved upward in an amused smile, smugly sipping his own coffee with the air of one who had never coughed it out. Jessica herself knew that that was not true, as Seth had spewed it all over her table the previous year when she'd imparted some shocking news about a neighbor. But now was not the time to argue. She cleared her throat, wiped up the coffee, and fixed her eyes directly on the doctor. "Seth!"

"What?" Seth asked, giving her a blithe _who-me _expression.

"You don't know the first thing about tact, do you?"

"Not outside of my practice, no. But I _do _know the first thing about Eve's annual Halloween bash, and that is that I'm not going!"

Jessica's face fell. She knew that Seth didn't like the parties, but he usually went with her for her sake, not his. She went purely because she liked to dress up and mingle with a few of her friends, but at the last few parties period, it seemed as though all Eve was trying to do was set her up. If Seth was with her as her unofficial date, Eve stayed off her back. But if Seth wasn't going to the Halloween fete... "Seth, you know I don't like to push you into things..." She held up her hands when he snorted. "All right, all right, things that don't involve murder. But I need you to come with me tonight. If you don't, Eve's going to be foisting every older bachelor off on me."

"Well, Jessica, that's what you get for saying yes to Eve's invitation. If she's snagging the young studs for herself and throwing you the leftovers, so be it."

"Seth!"

"I am not going, Jessica, and that is final."

"It is _not _final. Please, if there is any mercy in your soul..."

Seth sat his coffee cup down on the table and met her eyes. Her face had fallen so fast that he wondered if he had been a little _too _blunt. "Look, Jess... maybe if I had something decent to dress up in, I'd go. The last few years, I've had to get what was left over at the costume shop, and I don't want to scrape the bottom of the barrel again. Plus, tomorrow's Halloween and there's probably already been a rush on the store. Maybe it's a sign that I shouldn't go."

"You can pull something together. Put on jeans and boots and a Stetson and go as a cowboy, for heaven's sake."

"Won't work. Metzger's already going as one with Floyd as his deputy."

Jessica sighed. "Well, will you at least try to think of something?"

Seth gave her a half-smile and took her hand in his. "I can do that. But don't be surprised if I don't show up. With Eve, that party's _always _Mischief Night."

Jessica squeezed the hand that held hers. It wasn't a promise that he would go, but it was better than nothing. "All right."

* * *

><p>On Halloween night, Eve Simpson's place was crammed full of vampires, fairies, werewolves, princesses, and Disney characters as the party went into full swing. Michael Jackson's song "Thriller" was playing, people were dancing, and Eve's "witches' brew," a green punch made of orange and pineapple juices, lime Jell-O, and ginger ale with a little dry ice for effect, was flowing like a river. And one of the guests was playing hostess as she ladled out glasses to everyone who came by the table, including the sheriff of Cabot Cove.<p>

"Hey, Mrs. F!" Mort Metzger greeted his friend, his spurs clinking as he stopped in front of the table, which was groaning under the weight of the punch bowl and a bevy of Halloween treats. "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"

Jessica laughed. In her pink dress and crown with the giant star wand, one would have to be culturally deprived not to guess that she was Glinda the Good Witch. "I'm a very good witch, Sheriff," she answered, sloshing some punch into a cup for him. "Or should I call you Marshal?"

Now it was Mort's turn to laugh. He was dressed in jeans, a beaten-up leather vest, cowboy boots and his usual Stetson, and wore a badge that, instead of _Sheriff, Cabot Cove, _read _Marshal, Dodge City. _"Matt Dillon at your service, ma'am," he drawled, tipping his hat to her. "I couldn't help myself. I've always loved _Gunsmoke._ Couldn't get Adele to go as my Miss Kitty, though. She's off at another party with her girlfriends." His grin grew even wider as someone new approached. "But here comes my Festus."

The newcomer loped over to the table and Jessica burst out laughing. Floyd apparently hadn't shaved in about a week, red stubble covering his normally smooth face, and he was dressed very much in the same fashion Mort was, albeit a little more haggardly. "Floyd? Is that you?"

The deputy touched the brim of his beaten-up hat in salute. "It's me, Miz Fletcher," he said, also accepting a glass of punch from her. "I know, I look like a bum, don't I?"

"Please, I know what a bum looks like. You look like you've been on a two-day bender," Mort quipped. "Come tomorrow morning, your face oughta be smooth as a baby's butt, got it?" When Floyd nodded through a mouthful of punch, the sheriff returned his attention to Jessica, who was now stepping out from behind the table. "So where's Dr. Hazlitt? I thought he usually came to this party with you."

Jessica sighed. She had been here for almost 90 minutes and Seth still hadn't shown up. As optimistic as she was, she was beginning to think that maybe, this time, he wouldn't come. "I don't know, Sheriff. For all I know, he's sitting at home right now, watching old Vincent Price movies while I fend off every aging Tom, Dick, and Harry Eve throws my way."

"And since the doc's not here to play bodyguard, you're having to put on a brave face and get your feet stepped on in every dance."

"Pretty much."

Mort took a quick look around the room. Most people were dancing and having a great time. Sam Booth, dressed as Superman, was doing a goofy dance that looked like a cross between the Robot and the Bunny Hop. Eve, who had chosen to go as the Mistress of the Dark this time around, was busy entertaining a flock of men and grinning like the cat that ate the canary. The usual suspects from Loretta's Beauty Shop, Ideal Molloy, Phyllis Grant, and Loretta herself, were dressed as the Good Fairies from _Sleeping Beauty _and, as always, gossiping to one another. "Well, Mrs. F... how 'bout I try and find these guys and set them up with Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather over there?"

Jessica laughed. "Oh, you don't have to do that. I can take care of myself, really."

"I know you can, but somebody's gotta help keep a few leeches off your back. Right?"

Still smiling, Jessica reached out and touched her friend on the forearm. "Thank you, Sheriff."

The corners of Mort's eyes crinkled in a smile. "Don't mention it. Now go on, try and enjoy yourself. God knows you deserve some fun." And he strode off, Floyd on his heels. Sure enough, in a matter of minutes, Mort had managed to get all three of the Good Fairies dancing with three older gentlemen who, despite the ladies' best efforts, were still glancing in Jessica's direction. Jessica herself stifled a giggle and sent Mort a silent _thank you _across the room; he tipped his hat again and mouthed _You're welcome _back. Clutching her wand in her hand, Jessica found an empty spot of wall to stand by while she watched everyone dance - and a fog of dry ice swept over the dance floor. She didn't miss her feet being trod upon, but she did miss dancing. She missed the companionship. Most of all, she missed...

"Unusual weather we're having, ain't it?"

Jessica nearly jumped out of her skin. She spun around and felt relief wash over her like a warm bath when she beheld the face she had so longed to see. "Well, it's about time! I was beginning to think you'd never come."

"Well, I wasn't, at first. I couldn't think of anything to wear and I was going to stay at home and watch an old Vincent Price movie or two..." Here Jessica giggled inwardly, knowing that her earlier guess had been partially correct. "But then I thought maybe you needed more than just an escort to some fancy costume party. Maybe you needed a _friend._"

Jessica gazed into his hazel eyes and smiled. "I did need a friend. I needed _you._" She put her hands on his shoulders, taking in his costume. "The Scarecrow I missed most of all."

A pleased smile spread across Seth's broad face. "Just a little something I threw together." He was wearing an old, patched pair of brown pants and an equally patched green shirt, with a pointed felt hat with a rope and boots on his feet; raffia was peeking out of his sleeves, boots, and hat like straw. "I remembered who you were going as and thought it'd be a good match." He looked her up and down and nodded with approval. "You look beautiful, Jess."

"Just something I threw together," Jessica repeated, nevertheless glad to hear his praise. The truth was, she had had that costume for a few years, having first worn it to the costume ball her former publisher had invited her to. Back then, she had worn it as Cinderella's godmother. Looking back, she should have said she was Glinda. Tonight, she was able to remedy that mistake. The dress was a near-replica of Glinda's, albeit slightly lower-cut, but still modest enough for Jessica's taste - and Seth's, judging by what he said next.

"I mean it. You know how to be sexy without being trashy, unlike some women in this room," he said, twitching his head in Eve's direction. "Leave it to her to go as Elvira."

Jessica laughed. "I'd love to know where she got that costume."

"And I'd love to know where she left the rest of it. Good night, if she makes one wrong move, she'll be showing Cabot Cove the wrong kind of real estate." Seth's mouth quirked again when Jessica doubled over laughing. "I know, I know. I don't know the first thing about tact."

"No, no," she choked out, straightening back up and wiping away some mirthful tears. "For once, I agree with you. Even for Eve, that is way too much." She cleared her throat. "Oh, Seth, thank you for that. Lord, it feels good to laugh."

"And it feels good to hear you laugh." Seth glanced out at the dance floor just as a golden oldie from Halloweens past started up. "Sounds like everyone's gonna be doing the Monster Mash. Would you like to dance with someone who actually knows how?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Seth took her hand and led her out to the floor. "And after this dance, how 'bout we head on home, curl up on the couch, and watch _Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein_?"

"What happened to the Vincent Price movies?" Jessica asked as they assumed the proper jitterbug position and began to hoof it.

"I want something funny instead of scary. And Vincent Price _is _in that movie, by the way."

"Good memory."

"So much for the Scarecrow needing a brain." Seth whirled her out and back into his hold, his hand placed at her back as it always was when he was protecting her. "But he always needs a friend."

"And I need one too. I also need someone to keep the crows out of my garden this spring. Would you consider dressing up again come April?"

Seth shifted his hand downward slightly to tickle her waist and she giggled. "Would _you _consider being tickled when we get home?"

Jessica gave him a mischievous smile. "Seth Hazlitt, you're nothing but a tickle monster."

"Ayuh. A monster who can't wait to tickle his lady."

"You're supposed to scare people tonight, not tickle them. It's Halloween."

"Is it? I could've sworn it was Mischief Night."

Jessica laughed as Seth pulled her in for a hug, taking comfort in the warmth of his body, the cedar scent of him, and the strength of the arms that always held her with such tenderness and love. This Halloween had turned out to be a very happy - and mischievous - one after all.


End file.
